[Time travel in Kanagawa] Autumn traditional performing arts 2023 Takigi Noh, Yamakita no Omineiri, Bunraku puppet theater

In the fall of 2023, various traditional performing arts performances were held in Kanagawa Prefecture. These included Takigi Noh, a bonfire-lit performance dedicated to the stage, and folk performing arts commemorating the registration of the Bunraku puppet theater as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. We will be bringing you the Bunraku puppet theater performance commemorating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Bunraku Association.
Top image: © Shinji Aoki

Kamakura Takigi Noh has a long history second only to Nara and Kyoto

Photo courtesy of Kamakura City Tourism Association

"Kamakura Takigi Noh" is a Shinto Noh ritual that has been running for over half a century since its first performance in 1959. The venue, Kamakura Shrine, is a shrine built by imperial decree of Emperor Meiji in 1869 and commonly known as "Otonomiya". Prince Moriyoshi Shinnou (Morinaga Shinnou), the son of Emperor Godaigo, is the deity worshipped here.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the festival, and for the first time in five years a special outdoor Noh stage and general spectator seating have been set up.
The program includes the song "Okina," a blessing piece that is only performed at special performances; the Kyogen play "Rokujizo," in which three actors play six Jizo statues, full of confusion and laughter; and the Noh play "Hokazo," featuring the art of kusemai (a traditional Japanese dance), kakko (a traditional Japanese drum), and short songs, as well as the tense Zen dialogue that is the highlight of the program.

Kamakura Takigi Noh is a performance that you can enjoy in the rustic charm of Kamakura as the sun sets, while feeling the sounds of insects and the gentle breeze. This year's performance was once again a spectacular evening, with some of the most famous performers in the world of Noh.

[The 65th Kamakura Takigi Noh]
Date and time: Friday, October 6, 2023, 18:00-20:30 *Finished
Venue: Kamakura Shrine, special stage [154 Nikaido, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture]
・Program: Soutai "Okina" by Norikazu Konparu (Shite actor, 81st head of the Konparu school)
Kyogen "Six Jizo" by Mansai Nomura (Kyogen performer, Izumi school)
Noh play "Hokazo" by Yasuaki Konparu (Shite actor, Konparu school, 80th generation)
・Website here

Two days of passionate performances at the Oyama Fire Festival

The Oyama Fire Festival Takigi Noh is held for two days every year in early October at Oyama Afuri Shrine in Isehara City. This performing arts ritual, which is said to have originated from Oyama Noh about 300 years ago, is also designated as an important cultural property of Isehara City.

When a shrine maiden dressed in hakama offers a sacred fire to the Noh theater, which is surrounded by the nature of Mt. Daisen, bonfires light up the stage. With the lush greenery of the trees in the background, the atmosphere is set for the autumn seasonal feature of Mt. Daisen, the Fire Festival Takigi Noh. This year, the 42nd festival was held on October 3rd and 4th, and unfortunately it rained on the second day, but many people came on both days and were immersed in the mysterious world.

[The 42nd Oyama Fire Festival Takigi Noh]
Date and time: Tuesday, October 3rd and Wednesday, October 4th, 2023, 16:30-19:30 *Finished
Venue: Oyama Afuri Shrine Noh Theater (355 Oyama, Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture)
・ Program: Opening day (October 3rd)
Noh play "Lady Aoi" by Kanze Kiyokazu
Kyogen "Sohachi" by Tojiro Yamamoto
"One Man" by Kanze Saburota
Shimai "Dokan" by Kimitake Ueda
"Heavenly Drum" by Chitoshi Matsuki
Day 2 (October 4th)
Noh play "Kiyotsune" by Kanze Saburota
Kyogen "Fushi" by Norishige Yamamoto
"The Old Man" by Yaemon Yamashina
Shimai "Dokan" by Kojiro Kado
"The Net Stage" by Shigeyoshi Asami
・Website here

UNESCO registration passes on tradition to the northern peak of the mountain

"Yamakita no Omineiri" is a folk performing art that has been passed down for generations in the Kyowa area of Yamakita Town in western Kanagawa Prefecture and has been designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. In November 2022, it was decided that the dance would be registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage as one of the Furyu Dances that continue to reflect the history and climate of the region, and a commemorative performance was held on October 8th of this year.

It is thought to be a performing art of the mountain Shugendo rituals, and has only been performed 20 times in the past 160 years. The performances of 11 pieces in 8 categories, including the pole dance, the journey, and the purification ritual, have all been passed down orally. This year's 21st festival saw more than 80 men, from elementary school children to the elderly, take on the roles of Tengu (long-nosed goblin), lion, Okame (female samurai), Yamabushi (mountain priest), drummer, and flute player, making new history.

[Yamakita's Entry into the Peak Commemorative Performance]
Date and time: Sunday, October 8, 2023
Ceremony 9:10-9:40 / Commemorative performance 9:50-11:00 *Finished
Venue: Yamakita Town Kawamura Elementary School Grounds [1002 Yamakita, Yamakita Town, Ashigarakami District, Kanagawa Prefecture]
・Website here

[Travels and performances at the Kanagawa Classic Project]
Date and time: Sunday, February 11, 2024 (National Holiday)
"Michiyuki" 11:30-12:00 / Performance 14:00-
・Venue: "Michiyuki" Ebina Station Free Passage [3-3 Megumicho, Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture]
"Performance" Ebina City Cultural Hall [6-1 Megumicho, Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture]
・Website here

Bunraku puppet theatre: a masterpiece filled with life

©Shinji Aoki

On October 15th, there was a performance of Bunraku puppet theatre, a classical performing art that is also a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and Japan's pride and joy around the world. This was a national tour commemorating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Bunraku Association, and in Kanagawa Prefecture, two performances were held, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, at the Kanagawa Prefectural Youth Center in Yokohama City.

The evening performance I saw was a work called "Katsura River Love Barriers," a domestic drama set in the world of ordinary people. The story revolves around a complicated love affair between a man and a woman, so I bought a pamphlet at the gift shop and studied it while waiting for the show to start.

Bunraku puppet theater is a puppet show that adults can enjoy, and is performed by a tayu (a puppeteer) who freely speaks the lines of the characters, their emotions, and the development of the scene, a shamisen player who sits next to the tayu and expresses the scenery and psychology of the characters through sound, and a puppeteer. The three actors, the tayu, shamisen player, and puppeteer, work together in unison to breathe life into the puppets, bringing the performance to life.

When the curtain rises, the puppeteers and puppeteers stand at the front and perform their acts, while the tayu and shamisen player sit upright on the sub-stage called the "Yuka" on the right, occasionally leaning forward to tell the tale with their voices and the sound of their shamisen. This time, the audience was close to the stage, so it was well worth watching.

When you see the actual puppets, they have small heads and long limbs, and are larger and more impressive than you would imagine. It is captivating to watch the three puppeteers manipulate one puppet with such grace and ease - the main puppeteer in charge of the head and right hand, the left puppeteer in charge of the left hand, and the foot puppeteer in charge of the feet. It is a moment when you can feel the charm of traditional art and the profound depth backed by history.

The performance began with a commentary by the tayu, focusing on the plot, and throughout the performance, electronic subtitles were displayed on the left side of the stage. In addition, in the lobby, there was an introductory exhibit of Bunraku puppet theater, including panels showing the highlights and videos of the performance, allowing visitors to feel closer to this classical performing art.

[Bunraku puppet theater commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Bunraku Association]
Date and time: Sunday, October 15, 2023. Daytime performance starts at 13:00, evening performance starts at 17:00. *Finished
Venue: Kanagawa Prefectural Youth Center Momijizaka Hall [9-1 Momijigaoka, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture]
・Program (afternoon performance) explanation (mainly plot summary)
Yoshitsune Senbonzakura
Shiinoki Stage, Sushi Restaurant Stage
(Evening session) Commentary (mainly the plot)
Katsuragawa River Entanglement Fence
The Rokkakudo section, the Obiya section, and the Katsura River in the hazy journey
・Website here

Text by Mai Shimura (editor/writer)